Pashinyan calls for constitution free of Independence Declaration references

Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, stated that the country’s new constitution should not include references to the Independence Declaration.

In a briefing with journalists following a government session, he added that otherwise, it would not be possible to move forward with that logic and build an independent state, Caliber.Az reports per Armenian media.

"We must protect the Armenia we have established. We must protect it firmly, strongly, and with principle, because we have built a country with a future," the Prime Minister also said.

He also noted that “the majority of Russian Armenians will vote for the ruling party.”

Earlier, a member of the pro-Western NGO “Independent Observer,” Daniel Ionnisyan, claimed—without presenting any evidence—that Russian FSB officers are forcing Armenian businessmen to sponsor the transfer of Armenian citizens from Russia to Armenia for the elections, citing a figure of 80,000 voters.

When asked why the Armenian Foreign Intelligence Service did not specify a country in its statement regarding external pressure on voters abroad, Pashinyan assured that this was a matter of expediency and that further clarifications would be provided if necessary.

By Jeyhun Aghazada